Munky: 'On New Korn Album We Moved Into Different Direction'

We couldn't miss the opportunity to talk to the legendary nu-metal band Korn and ask them a bunch of questions that we know lots of you are curious about. In the exclusive phone interview, the band's guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer was speaking about the changes in Korn's lyrics and sound, some technical details of playing guitar, gear, and much, much more. Read on!

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Congratulations with your new album! Tomorrow, December 6th, is the release date "See You on the Other Side" - your first new material since 2003. It turned out to be the most awaited album on our web-site, so first a few questions about it. Your new album is gonna sound very different from your previous releases, we know that it's still classic Korn to some extent but it's something you haven't done before as well. Was it a natural evolving of the band or you just tired of following the same concept and decided to change it right away?James "Munky" Shaffer: We wanted to experiment with a lot of different things because what we were doing started to feel kind of stale. And we continuously made a decision to change things up and we wanted our listeners and our fans have something new and creatively as people we wanted to move into different direction.

The lyrics changed a lot as well - they are more social and political now. You say the reason for that is Jonathan's way of preceding the world now. What exactly made him change so much?
I think he got kind of tired of just talking about himself so much. I think it was evolution in lyrically for him to talk about other things and not so directed inward.

Talking about the band, were there any changes since 2003's "Take a Look in the Mirror" except of the departure of Brian Head Welch? I mean, in the relationship, your attitude to music and life?
I think as we get older, we start to appreciate music more and I think that had a reflection on what we've just recorded. We appreciate music more as we get older, you know.

The change in the music always leads to loosing some of your old fans that used to like what you previously did. Are you afraid of that?
There's always a fear when we release an album that you're gonna disappoint fans or anybody. But you have to remember that as long as you're satisfied as an Artist, you're putting our something good. And that's what is mostly important, I think.

The CD sleeve of "See You on the Other Side" has a wonderful art of weeping child clutching a headless teddy bear. Is there some kind of a story behind it, what does it mean to you?
It's like another world. It's another dimension - sort of reflection of the music.

I've seen that boy's face on lots of other thing, so I though there might be some kind of story behind it?
Well, actually, the cover was drawn up from a lyrics, that Jonathan gave to the artist.

Is that the lyrics for one of the songs?
The lyric is on "'I'm just a child with a tear in his eyes/And I'm holding this gift that is broken" and they gave that lyric to the artist and that's what the artist came up with.

Your Deluxe Edition of "See You on the Other Side" includes two previously unreleased songs. When were they recorded?
Those were the songs that we recorded right in the beginning of the session. One of my favorite songs is called "It's Me Again" - it's probably in top three on the album for me. Originally it gonna go on the album, but I talked to management about putting it on there.

Videos for "Twisted Transistor" and "Hypocrites," that are on the Deluxe Edition of "See You on the Other Side" have been shot in Moscow. What was so special about Moscow?
Other than just being there for the first time and experiencing the culture and the architecture, I think the fan's reaction was unforgettable. When people ask me "What was one of your best concerts?" I always tell them that was the one that we did in Moscow. We had a lot of fun there.

Do you plan release to release concert DVD anytime soon?
We just did a concert in New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom. And we're gonna make a DVD out of that - we shot the whole concert and we did a few production, some cool production ideas - we're gonna release that probably in a few months.

You've had quite an intense tour schedule last summer. Among all the shows, was there the one you liked best? Or just something that stood out from everything else?
We had a lot of fun in Prague. The show was really good too in Prague. Those were the two best spots that we did I think.

What was so special about Prague?
The afterparty.

You performed a set on board of transatlantic private aircraft in November (read story on UG). Who came up with that idea and are you planning to do any other extraordinary performances again some time soon?
I think a few of us started to ask for a management starting to shoot ideas, come up with different stuff to keep the fans involved. We don't want to alienate ourselves from them. So we came up to this idea just to bring back contest winners from Europe, also brought back some American soldiers. And then we also decided that we're gonna play on the plane, it was pretty cool actually.

Are you gonna do some kind of those crazy performances some time soon again?
Yeah, we're gonna play on the Moon! Well, seriously, right now no ideas yet.

Talking about your band on our web-site, your fans say that your music matured a lot - in the new album there are great bass lines, more complex and more dynamic guitars. So, when it comes to equipment, did you change it due to the band's evolving? What equipment (guitar, basses, ams) are you using now?
We use the same stuff that we've always used - as far as guitars, equipment. I've used the same stuff for years on records. I used the Boogie amps and Marshall cabinets and my seven-string guitar from Ibanez, I used an SG guitar from Gibson, Fender strap, I used Telecaster through old Fender twin-reverb amp. Basically we kind of started searching for the sound that we wanted for each track. But I think mostly the evolution came from the writing process - we wrote from the control room, which was lot different from we normally do. We normally hang out in the rehearsal studio. And that was probably the most notable change, that we made was in the writing process.

Using the same guitars over year, does it mean you just don't like anything new or you don't want to try?
I'll try whatever sounds good, honestly. I write with seven-string guitar for twenty years now or maybe fifteen years. Ibanez - cause they were so good to us. I've been looking for a Gibson Gold Taper for two years or something like that. It's cause I like the way it sounds - a lot different. It sounds cooool.

Was that something that happened to you that made you change the way of playing guitar? Or you're just naturally growing as a guitar-player?
I think the absence of Brian helped me mature as a guitar player. I didn't have him around to inspire me, so I had to find it within myself.

The interview is gonna be on a guitar web site. Can you tell us about one of your favorite guitar techniques, so that your fans would practice them too?
I think probably working on chord progressions and being able to make the transition from different chords as quickly as possible - I think it's really important - in clean.

How do you feel about the next generation of bands?
Are you talking about 10-year olds? I'm noticing a lot of that like a gring chord type of thing going and emo course thing. They're calling this "screamo." The thing is crapped. It's good to see that thing are moving? but it's just my opinion, doesn't mean a shit really.

It's Christmas time. Do you have any Christmas message to your fans?
Don't heat fried turkey and burn you house down!

Nah frost screamo is so big were I live all the gay scene kids listen to it. With there girl pants and shit. They're so gay. I go to the local venues on friday nights to see how many I can run over in my car. White power.

scizor4:
what in the **** is screamo
i swear tgere woz like 4 rappers in the video 4 twistd trannsizter
head woz a legend
**** white power GRUNGE OWNZ THIS WORLD
cobain will be resurrected
nirvana ROOOOOL

Please don't post again. You insult Nirvana and KoRn with your shit spelling. The new album will rock!

[b]EC_Fan_Forever[
/b] wrote:
Nah frost screamo is so big were I live all the gay scene kids listen to it. With there girl pants and shit. They're so gay. I go to the local venues on friday nights to see how many I can run over in my car. White power.

i adore there album, i really do, and i don't even mind that the bass clicks have gone (you know tha'fieldy clickss)
great album, great bonus cd... i love koRn.. and i must say i was afraid of this being crappy since head was gone.. but it didn't
GOOOO KOrN

these guys are retarded
they had two rhythm guitarists, wtf, 2 people playing the same thing
then they record, go on tour, and this one dude can play all of the songs because
THEY NEVER NEEDED MORE THAN ONE GUITARIST
WHAT A WASTE OF TALENT

I like to think that musicians are the people on this site and that they are intelligent, but based on the messages that are generally posted on here most of you are pretty dumb. I don't even see how it's possible to have a typo in a post that's intention is to criticize this web site's typos. I'm listening to the album right now and so far I like the chill sound they have and the rampant use of rare instruments like bagpipes. Plus the album is over an hour long.
Korn has had a lot of songs where 2 guitarists are required to play a live version so the loss of Head to Jesus freakin sucks. Finally music is an art form, not a lifestyle and I hope all you emo kids figure that out so people might quit judging emo superficially.

wallyyfm wrote:
these guys are retarded
they had two rhythm guitarists, wtf, 2 people playing the same thing
then they record, go on tour, and this one dude can play all of the songs because
THEY NEVER NEEDED MORE THAN ONE GUITARIST
WHAT A WASTE OF TALENT

haha hey man before you bash you have to research. Head and Munky played different riffs most of the time. It's a lot harder on Munky now that Head's gone. Think about what you say.

i ****ing hate screamo and emo shit, with all there ****ing poser shit head with the ****ing dumb hair to the side, what a bunch of ****tards. ****ing jews!! "my girlfriend dumped me for the guy across the street, now im going to go cut myelf" what **** are kinda lyrics? go and die.. METALLICA, CRADLE OF FILTH, LAMB OF GOD, LED ZEPPELIN, ARCH ENEMY korn, mudvayne WILL rule. and that emo screamo ****ing shit is gay, i hate it, grow some talent and some balls you ****ing ****s!!! i hate rap tto
R =reatrds A =attempting P =poetry

i made a post on a story not too long ago about ppl that bash on other types of music and realised that it was pretty much a waste of time. after reading through these entire strings of comments everyday ive come to the conclusion that theres way too many ppl on this site that dont even deserve to own a guitar, or even listen to music for that matter.
lifeless figure : keep any comments or thoughts u have to urself, we're all better off w/o them. its just one more post in this thread that ppl have to read thru to get to any inteligent idea or opinion.
wallyyfm : if they both played the exact same riffs, yes it would be dumb, but they dont. maybe u should know a little sumthin about wut ur commenting on.
ec_fan_forever : ur a racists moron
scizor4 : how old r u? and not matter wut ur age u also r a moron

espFREAKltd:
i made a post on a story not too long ago about ppl that bash on other types of music and realised that it was pretty much a waste of time. after reading through these entire strings of comments everyday ive come to the conclusion that theres way too many ppl on this site that dont even deserve to own a guitar, or even listen to music for that matter.
lifeless figure : keep any comments or thoughts u have to urself, we're all better off w/o them. its just one more post in this thread that ppl have to read thru to get to any inteligent idea or opinion.
wallyyfm : if they both played the exact same riffs, yes it would be dumb, but they dont. maybe u should know a little sumthin about wut ur commenting on.
ec_fan_forever : ur a racists moron
scizor4 : how old r u? and not matter wut ur age u also r a moron

before you comment on other peoples intelligence, i suggest you stop spelling "youre" like "ur".
korn are the suck. its a shame they cant grasp proper usage of 7 string guitars.

I wasn't aware this was a spelling-bee Night_Lights. "Ur" comes from being a past AIM-junkie. But u get the anal-retentive-english-te
acher award for the day.
And by the way yoUR grammar skills "are the suck"

Wow. So many immature kids in here. Let me clear this up. Korn doesn't have talent. Duh. Everyone knows that. They are repetitive and absolutely bland. And as far emo goes...get a ****ing life. Get over it. You lost her. Now shut the **** or practice what you preach and commit suicide for the good of all humanity.
Thank you.

Wow. So many immature kids in here. Let me clear this up. Korn doesn't have talent. Duh. Everyone knows that. They are repetitive and absolutely bland. And as far emo goes...get a ****ing life. Get over it. You lost her. Now shut the **** or practice what you preach and commit suicide for the good of all humanity.
Thank you.

blues brother they've sold a shit load of albums, and Head and Munkey got a shitload of kids to buy 7 string guitars. So they have to have a little bit of talent, even if its in acting like your good, or advertising, or whatever, they're doin somethin right.

I hate the pukes who can't spell correctly. KoRn is amazing, some of there songs are shit and questionable, but mostly incredible and kickass.
If anyone has ever tried to learn KoRn they would realize that there are 2 parts and some completely different riffs. Cheers

Lifeless Figure wrote:
i ****ing hate screamo and emo shit, with all there ****ing poser shit head with the ****ing dumb hair to the side, what a bunch of ****tards. ****ing jews!! "my girlfriend dumped me for the guy across the street, now im going to go cut myelf" what **** are kinda lyrics? go and die.. METALLICA, CRADLE OF FILTH, LAMB OF GOD, LED ZEPPELIN, ARCH ENEMY korn, mudvayne WILL rule. and that emo screamo ****ing shit is gay, i hate it, grow some talent and some balls you ****ing ****s!!! i hate rap tto
R=reatrds A=attempting P=poetry

Nobody ****ing cares what music you like. Quit using your amazing enlightened music tastes to try to impress people. Keep your dumbass comments about other genres to yourself. Try saying something intelligent. No more "I listen to LED ZEPPELIN and METALLICA therefore I am the winner!!!!111" Fucking prick

Question!:
Please educate me on emo vs. screamo. I probably don't like either one but I'd like to find out.
well, there is only a slight difference between emo and screamo. emo (emotional HARDCORE) has, well, very emotional lyrics. the lyrics in emo are usually sad. screamo on the other hand, has very angry and sad lyrics. but most new screamo band suck horribly. if anyone wants to check out good emo bands, here are some: Rites of Spring, Fugazi, Heroin, and Dag Nasty.
the new korn cd will probably be good..... they've only let me down once (take a look in the mirror) ....

Omgz, I r so emo. Look @ my hair doing that flippy thing. Seriously, emo kids. Kill yourself now. As for the new album, eh, I dunno.I don't really care for Korn in the first place so I sure as hell won't buy their album. Go Go Kazaa.

Not when you put the leftovers in the frig dumbass!
Ok , honestly people , if you have a problem with a band , keep it to yourself . If you see someone doing something you don't like ( whether it has do with sexuality , race , religion , whatever ) , do you say something? On top of that , if you see an article , video , or hear something on the radio , change it or don't read it. Quit wasting your time and do something positive for a change.
Anyway , buy the deluxe edition. Actually , whenever there is something you want has a version with more stuff , get it , it's always worth it. The album is great. While it is different , it is familiar enough to be a treat to fans of the older material.

scizor4 wrote:
what in the **** is screamo
i swear tgere woz like 4 rappers in the video 4 twistd trannsizter
head woz a legend
**** white power GRUNGE OWNZ THIS WORLD
cobain will be resurrected
nirvana ROOOOOL

man them guys are annoying! that weird lookin panzy they call a singer,the wannabe bass player and the dumbass munky funk.dude sucks! that 7 string drop d crap is a joke. he needs to take some guitar lessons,or **** it i'll show him how! or really he should just take his k-7 guitar and burn it! give it up!

man them guys are annoying! that weird lookin panzy they call a singer,the wannabe bass player and the dumbass munky funk.dude sucks! that 7 string drop d crap is a joke. he needs to take some guitar lessons,or **** it i'll show him how! or really he should just take his k-7 guitar and burn it! give it up!

The new Korn album is really bad. I heard the stream for all the songs; I'm really disappointed. This has to be their worst album. I'm sure all the the socially inept fourteen-year-olds will love it though, as I can see from the previous posts.

chadwhitney:
The new Korn album is really bad. I heard the stream for all the songs; I'm really disappointed. This has to be their worst album. I'm sure all the the socially inept fourteen-year-olds will love it though, as I can see from the previous posts.
sral76:
this is the biggest mess of a comment section ever. and for the record: korn blows.
man them guys are annoying! that weird lookin panzy they call a singer,the wannabe bass player and the dumbass munky funk.dude sucks! that 7 string drop d crap is a joke. he needs to take some guitar lessons,or **** it i'll show him how! or really he should just take his k-7 guitar and burn it! give it up!
i hate all of you. i just FUCKIN hate you. wtf are you doing here than. some people are jsut ****ing idiots. This is probably the most messed up post ever. Korn kicks ass i asked for the album for x-mas it is awesome. If people could open their ass eyes and see PEOPLE TRY NEW THINGS. LIKE COMMITING SUICIDE WHY DONT SOME OF YOU BASHERS TRY IT SOMETIME. Anyway KoRn is the best you guys just suck.

Lifeless Figure:
i ****ing hate screamo and emo shit, with all there ****ing poser shit head with the ****ing dumb hair to the side, what a bunch of ****tards. ****ing jews!! "my girlfriend dumped me for the guy across the street, now im going to go cut myelf" what **** are kinda lyrics? go and die.. METALLICA, CRADLE OF FILTH, LAMB OF GOD, LED ZEPPELIN, ARCH ENEMY korn, mudvayne WILL rule. and that emo screamo ****ing shit is gay, i hate it, grow some talent and some balls you ****ing ****s!!! i hate rap tto
R=reatrds A=attempting P=poetry
Hey jackass, emo guys aren't the only bands that talk about cutting. Listen to "Right Now" all Jonathan talks about is cutting. Also, would you morons learn how to spell, because I can't read half of the crap you write. I don't know about this new album, and I think Head leaving was horrible for the band. I hope they can get it together.

I swear , if I spent as much time talking shit about bands I didn't like as much as half the people on here do , I wouldn't have any time to do anything. I don't see how they do it. Plus , there's really no point in defending your favorite ( or just some band you like ) band because most people here just say one thing , and then leave. Like their opinion is the end all .

people argue over the internet as if it's a real conversation. if you don't like korn so much then why even waste your time posting.
the comments about spelling kill me because most of them completely misuse "there" "they're" and "their" or "your" and "you're"...great stuff

I have always liked KoRn, my favorite album would have to be "Issues" with "See You On The Other Side" in second. Not everyone has or ever will like KoRn, but it just depends on what you like in music or not. I have notice some songs on the cd with Fieldy's bass clicks. I have to admit it is a dramatic change in style for them, but they have to find what the fans like and how to get new people to like them. But if someone doesnt like a particular band you cant just going around and bashing them for it, whats that solve? Same with genre of music. In my opinoin KoRn rocks and I will always listen to them.

I was huge into Korn when they first came out, then I didn't like them as much, but hey band's change their music, not selling out by any means, but if you play the same shit over and over again, there's no creativity. I'm interested in hearing their new stuff, maybe I'll like them as much as I did with their first stuff.

okay...i hate guys who talk shit about emo and screamo b'coz you guys just don't have a ****ing idea what the genre is.. as for korn's new album, i hope it will kick ass the way their previous albums did...
as for the dude who was dumped by his girlfriend.. maybe you should check your armpits and take a ****ing bath...

fugazi is so bad, and they're screamo. The emo genre whether you like it or not has be redefined. If you scream and yell you're screamo. If you sing like a girl you're emo. Of couse many bands cross over genres. One could say like Slipknot could be screamo cause they're less rappy than the typical nu-metal band. Idk!

Question! wrote:
I like to think that musicians are the people on this site and that they are intelligent, but based on the messages that are generally posted on here most of you are pretty dumb. I don't even see how it's possible to have a typo in a post that's intention is to criticize this web site's typos. I'm listening to the album right now and so far I like the chill sound they have and the rampant use of rare instruments like bagpipes. Plus the album is over an hour long.
Korn has had a lot of songs where 2 guitarists are required to play a live version so the loss of Head to Jesus freakin sucks. Finally music is an art form, not a lifestyle and I hope all you emo kids figure that out so people might quit judging emo superficially.

I enjoyed your post most of all. While being critical of people policing typos - who are also policing typos - you took the game to a level that reflects true lack of intelligence. I'm refering to your incomplete sentences and your endless comma splices. Perhaps the next time you feel the desire to be critical you will not leave yourself as open to critique.

Kopperhead91: "i hate all of you. i just FUCKIN hate you. wtf are you doing here than. some people are jsut ****ing idiots. This is probably the most messed up post ever. Korn kicks ass i asked for the album for x-mas it is awesome. If people could open their ass eyes and see PEOPLE TRY NEW THINGS. LIKE COMMITING SUICIDE WHY DONT SOME OF YOU BASHERS TRY IT SOMETIME. Anyway KoRn is the best you guys just suck."
What a wack-job you are. I love Korn too... except that I'm 33 years old (the same age as most of the members of Korn) and can honestly, objectively discount an album, yet still appreciate the band. It's not the end of the world dude... you still have your acne, your daily masturbation, your video games, the gay posters on your wall, and all the other shit that teenagers love. You'll grow out of it freak, don't worry!

Sorry to disappoint you but SYOTOS blows.. I was a large korn fan when the nu metal scene was around but now I have realised that they pale in comparison to a lot of bands now such as Morbid Angel, Iced Earth, Megadeth, Decapitated. When I heard a B-side from the album I thought maybe there is hope yet. But was brutally disappointed

New album rules! Korn Still rules! Emo is just a style of music for gays that can't get over things, like "My girlfriend left me so, Im the world's greatest loser and Im going to cut myself and bleed to death!" I think emo guys would be happier selling out their asses, and doing blowjobs at streets at night!

I pretty much agree with tetsuo_9999 Emo kids are pretty ****ing gay. Why do they cry so much? Ok you cut yourself...I don't have problems with certain things but toughen out fags. GOD life may suck but you don't cry you just become an *****.

people get so emotional on these things. all **** this and that guys a ****, at least put the first letter of the word so we can assume what it is.
korns new album sucks, i got it and its the worst one yet.
chimaira are the sh*t

people get so emotional on these things. all **** this and that guys a ****, at least put the first letter of the word so we can assume what it is.
korns new album sucks, i got it and its the worst one yet.
chimaira are the sh*t

okay, this post is probably gunna start a huge arguement, but oh well. My spelling is'nt perfect, nor is my grammer. You guys need to stop dissing bands and types of music just because you dont like. No matter how much you hate to admit it, emo and screamo and all that shit is gunna be the next big thing. And I think its pretty hypocritical that you guys are judging a genre of music, you all remeber the days when Zeppelin was considered "the devils music".
Emo music is not all about cutting your wrist, crying about your ex, or attempting suicide, dumb asses. Who gives a shit if you dont like it, it's not gunna make it go away, scene kids wear tight pants oh well boo hoo. Scene kids like you, are just people who pay a little more attention to how they look.
seriously I am not trying to dis on you guys, I think it is awsome that everyone has a different stlye, I think individuality is awsome and wish they were more different styles in the world to make more people unique. but seriously you guys need to shut the **** up, so what kids wear girl pants. some guys are skinny enough to wear them, others prefer not to. Like many things in the world, its a choice to dress how people dress.
and dont try to say that I am an emo fag, cuz I dont cry over my ex gf's or cut my wrist, and I have never attempted suicide in my life or even thought about it. And dont try to call me stupid either cuz I am not gunna reply, I actually have a life I dont waste it trying to win online arguements.
And Korn is pretty good, but I have not heard the new album yet.

okay, this post is probably gunna start a huge arguement, but oh well. My spelling is'nt perfect, nor is my grammer. You guys need to stop dissing bands and types of music just because you dont like. No matter how much you hate to admit it, emo and screamo and all that shit is gunna be the next big thing. And I think its pretty hypocritical that you guys are judging a genre of music, you all remeber the days when Zeppelin was considered "the devils music".
Emo music is not all about cutting your wrist, crying about your ex, or attempting suicide, dumb asses. Who gives a shit if you dont like it, it's not gunna make it go away, scene kids wear tight pants oh well boo hoo. Scene kids like you, are just people who pay a little more attention to how they look.
seriously I am not trying to dis on you guys, I think it is awsome that everyone has a different stlye, I think individuality is awsome and wish they were more different styles in the world to make more people unique. but seriously you guys need to shut the **** up, so what kids wear girl pants. some guys are skinny enough to wear them, others prefer not to. Like many things in the world, its a choice to dress how people dress.
and dont try to say that I am an emo fag, cuz I dont cry over my ex gf's or cut my wrist, and I have never attempted suicide in my life or even thought about it. And dont try to call me stupid either cuz I am not gunna reply, I actually have a life I dont waste it trying to win online arguements.
And Korn is pretty good, but I have not heard the new album yet.

okay, this post is probably gunna start a huge arguement, but oh well. My spelling is'nt perfect, nor is my grammer. You guys need to stop dissing bands and types of music just because you dont like. No matter how much you hate to admit it, emo and screamo and all that shit is gunna be the next big thing. And I think its pretty hypocritical that you guys are judging a genre of music, you all remeber the days when Zeppelin was considered "the devils music".
Emo music is not all about cutting your wrist, crying about your ex, or attempting suicide, dumb asses. Who gives a shit if you dont like it, it's not gunna make it go away, scene kids wear tight pants oh well boo hoo. Scene kids like you, are just people who pay a little more attention to how they look.
seriously I am not trying to dis on you guys, I think it is awsome that everyone has a different stlye, I think individuality is awsome and wish they were more different styles in the world to make more people unique. but seriously you guys need to shut the **** up, so what kids wear girl pants. some guys are skinny enough to wear them, others prefer not to. Like many things in the world, its a choice to dress how people dress.
and dont try to say that I am an emo fag, cuz I dont cry over my ex gf's or cut my wrist, and I have never attempted suicide in my life or even thought about it. And dont try to call me stupid either cuz I am not gunna reply, I actually have a life I dont waste it trying to win online arguements.
And Korn is pretty good, but I have not heard the new album yet.